Lamp base and holders for double ended electric-discharge lamps



Aug. 30, 1955 E. LEMMERS LAMP BASE AND HOLDERS FOR DOUBLE ENDED ELECTRIC-DISCHARGE LAMPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1955 D N mm mm s, v 1111 1 nv 3 mm. ww Pm Y r Q Am 97 mm e M2v v & \M a w m 2 M, Q N v?" m w Q r; 3% Z Y W\ m I & RN n e W 6Q /7r/,// 2\ I g P. B v w 1 E 11 I I Q m Q Q WH QW W mm R Q vm ww E V m H b M, w u

E. LEMMERS LAMP BASE AND HOLDERS FOR DOUBLE ENDED Aug 30, 1955 ELECTRIC-DISCHARGE LAMPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 15, 1955 Fig.8.

m WE w 521 TL M w 3% E Jogl/ Patented Aug. 30, 1955 LAMP BASE AND HOLDERS FOR DOUBLE ENDED ELECTRIC-DISCHARGE LAMPS Eugene Lemmers, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 15, 1953, Serial No. 380,279

20 Claims. (Cl. 339-52) The present invention relates to bases for double-ended electric discharge lamps of the type having preheatable electrodes mounted at the ends of a tubular glass envelope with a pair of current inlead wires for each of the electrodes extending from the ends of the envelope.

Heretofore the bases attached to the ends of the envelope have been provided with a pair of outwardly projecting socket engaging hollow contact pins connected to the inlead wires of the electrodes and mounted in space relation on an insulating member, such as a thermosetting plastic, which either has constituted the body of the base or has been secured to a metal shell which, with the insulating member, constituted the body of the base.

In the manufacture of such lamps, the cost of the contact pins and the mounting thereof on the insulating member of the base together with the threading and fastening of the inlead wires into the mounted hollow pins add substantially to the manufacturing cost of the lamps. An object of this invention is to substantially reduce the over-all cost of manufacture of such lamps by providing a base wherein the inlead wires of the lamp electrodes serve as the lamp contacts or terminals, thus eliminating the need for contact pins.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lamp base having an inlead wire receiving passage provided with an outer opening recessed within a member of insulating material to protect said inleads from accidental contacts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination of a based lamp and lamp holders having engaging electrically conducting parts which are recessed in electrically insulating members to protect said parts from accidental contacts.

A still further object of the invention is to provide lamp holders for lamps equipped with such bases.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of species thereof and from the appended claims.

A feature of the invention is a base having a member of electrically insulating material provided with a raised embossment thereon of noncircular configuration, such as an oval shape, and provided also with a passage or passages in its embossed portion for receiving holder contacts and the external ends of the electrode inlead wires extending from the end of the lamp envelope on which the base is mounted. A further feature of the base embodying the present invention is a slot in the front face of the embossment communicating with the passage or passages for receiving the bent-over outer ends of the said inlead wires which are of appreciable stiffness. The slot is deeper than the diameter of the wire to protect the outer ends of the wires therein from accidental contacts.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification two species of the invention are shown in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a tubular lamp having bases embodying the invention and of novel lamp holders engaging the said bases to support the lamp;

Fig. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing the lamp holders and the ends of the lamp partly in section with the base at one end of the lamp partly withdrawn from its holder;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a base embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational, partly sectional view of the lamp holders shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of one of the holders shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modification of the base shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and also embodying the invention; Fig. 7 is a front view of the base shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is. a top, partly section view of one of a pair of lamp holders for a lamp provided with bases of the type shown in Figs. 6 and 7;

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the other holder of said pair, and

Fig. 10 is a front view of part of the holder of Fig. 8.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which like numbers denote like parts in all the figures, the lamp has a tubular glass envelope 1 provided with bases 2 and 3 attached to its ends and is supported between a pair of lamp holders 4 and 5 attached to a suitable support 6 which may be part of a lighting fixture. The holder 4 is provided with a movable spring pressed hollow contact support member in the form of a plunger 7, described in detail later herein, engaging the base 2 of the lamp. To mount the lamp in the holders the base 2 is first engaged with the plunger 7 and the lamp is then moved to the left to force the plunger 7 into the holder 4 until its base 3 can clear the holder 5, as shown in broken lines in Fig. l. The lamp is then brought into line with the holder 5 and the base 3 engaged with the holder 5. The lamp is held firmly in the holders by the spring pressed plunger 7. Removal of the lamp from the holders is acomplished by moving it to the left until its base 3 is withdrawn from holder 5, tilting the lamp to clear the holder 5 and then withdrawing base 2 from plunger 7.

The bases 2 and 3 are of identical structure and the internal parts of only the base 2 have been shown completely in Fig. 2 of the drawings for conciseness in de- 7 scription.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the base 2 comprises an annular metal shell 8, which is suitably made of sheet aluminum, and a disk 9 of electrically insulating material, such as an organic plastic. The disk 9 may be made of commercial plastic molding compounds such as those comprising phenol-furfural resins or phenolic resins. The inner rim of the shell 8 is imbedded in the periphery of the insulating disk 9 to mechanically join these base members, as shown in Fig. 2. The base 2 is secured to the end of the glass envelope 1 by a body of basing cement 10.

The disk 9 has a raised elongated embossment 11 extending across its center and projecting outwardly from the base. A passage 12 is provided in the embossed portion of the disk 9 and extends completely through the center of the disk. The metal wire current inleads 13 and 14 connected to electrode 15 and extending through the press 16 of the stem 17 of the glass envelope I extend through the passage 12 and constitute electric terminals for the lamp. The inleads 13 and 14 have been omitted from Fig. 3 to show details of the internal parts of disk 9.

The elongated embossment 11 on disk 9 of the base 2 has straight parallel sides and rounded ends and the central passage 12 through the disk conforms in shape generally to that of the embossment as shown in Fig. 3.

The outer face of the embossment is recessed to define two cavities 18 and 19 spaced from the central passage 12 and grooves 2!) connecting the passage 12 with each of the cavities l8 and 19. As shown in Fig. 2, the inleads 13 and of the lamp extend in spaced relation through the central passage 12 and the outer ends thereof are bent over in opposite directions to lie in the grooves and terminate within the cavities l8 and 19, respectively.

Preferably the inleads are anchored in the disk 9 by forcing them into recesses 26' in the bottom of grooves 20 (Fig. 3) and which extend the full length of the grooves and are dimensioned to receive and grip the inleads between their walls. The recesses 20' are shallow to expose the portions of the inleads therein. Obviously, insulating pins, wedges or a body of insulating cement may be inserted in the cavities i8 and 19 to anchor the ends of the inleads 13 and 14 therein, and the recesses 20' may then be omitted or retained as desired. When the wire inleads are stifi enough all such anchoring means may be omitted.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the outer end portions of the wire inleads 13 and M lying in the grooves 29 are exposed for engagement with socket contacts, but are recessed within the base, because the depth of the grooves is greater than the diameter of the wire inleads. The passage 12 and the grooves 20 are made too narrow for the inleads 13 and l t to be touched accidentally in ordinary handling of the lamp incident to its insertion and removal as described above. This is an important safety feature of the base structure, because it eliminates the possibility of a person getting an electric shock in case something has gone wrong with the wiring.

The electrodes 15 mounted in the ends of envelope 1, and only one of which is shown in Fig. 2, each comprise a tungsten filament coated with electron-emissive material, such as alkaline-earth compounds, and is of the type requiring preheating to an electron-emitting temperature before starting of an electric discharge between the electrodes at opposite ends of the lamp. The lamp envelope 1 contains a starting gas, such as argon, at a few millimeters pressure and a small quantity 21 of mercury which is at a pressure of about 10 microns during operation of the lamp. A coating 22 of fluorescent material is provided on the inner surface of the envelope 1 and this material is excited to luminescence by the intense emission of 37 angstrom radiation of the mercury vapor discharge during operation of the lamp. Lamps of this type may be about eight feet in length and about one and onehalf inches in diameter.

The lamp holder 4 shown at the left of Figs. 2 and 4 comprises a body portion 23 providing a housing 24 having an opening through which extends the plunger 7. An inturned flange 25 is provided at the opening of housing 24 which acts as a stop for the spring pressed plunger 7..

The plunger 7 is provided with a shoulder 26 which is biased against the flange 25 by a pair of metal springs 27 and 28.

The springs 27 and 28 engage studs 29 and 30 on the back wall of the housing 24 and also studs 32 and 33 welded to the transverse welding projections 34- and 35 on the flat metal contacts 36 and 37. The welding projections 34 and 35 of the contacts are urged against a transverse integral partition 38 in the plunger 7 by the springs 27 and 28 to bias the plunger outward of the housing 24.

In addition to the transverse partition 38, which acts as a stop for the contacts 36 and 37, the plunger 7 is provided with a longitudinally extending partition 39 of electrically insulating material which extends through a slot in partition 38 and insulates from each other the springs 27 and 28 and the contacts 36 and 37. The partition 39 is held in position in the plunger 7 by screws 46 fastening its outwardly flaring flanges 41 to the back end of plunger 7.

The flat portions of the contacts 36 and 37 extend through a slot 42 in the partition 38 and into the cavity.

43 in the front face of the plunger 7. The back. surface 44 of the partition 38 is slanted as best shown at the left of Fig. 2, so that the outer end portions of contacts 36 and 37 engaging inleads 13 and 14 of the base 2 are moved outwardly from each other when the embossment 11 on the lamp base 2 is withdrawn from the cavity -23 of the plunger '7. This is shown at the right of Fig. 2 where the base 3 is illustrated as partly withdrawn from holder 5.

The springs 27 and 28 in holder 4 thus serve the dual purpose of biasing the plunger 7 outward of the housing and biasing the outer ends of the contacts 36 and 37 outwardly from each other to the end that the said contacts make a positive connection with the inleads 13 and 1-1 of the inserted base 2. The springs 27 and 28 are connected to the terminal posts 45 and 46 of the holder 4 by their portions 47 and 48 and thus also serve to conduct electrical energy to the mounted lamp.

The lamp holder 5 is similar in construction to the holder 4, except that in the holder 5 the part 49 corresponding to the movable plunger 7 of the holder 4, while of the same structure as plunger 7, is made stationary in the housing 50 corresponding to the housing 24 by the insertion of spacers 51 and 52 between the shoulder 53 on the part 49 and the inturned flange 54 at the opening of housing 50. The part 49 thus constitutes a hollow plug in the housing 50 of the holder 5. The metal springs 55 and 56 corresponding to the springs 27 and 28 of the holder 4 are, of course, shorter in length than springs 27 and 28, but serve the same purposes and are connected to the terminal posts of the holder 5 in the same manner.

The cavity 43 in plunger 7 and that in plug 49 are each dimensioned to receive the embossment 11 on the bases 2 and 3, respectively, with the sides of the opening of each of the cavities 43 engaging the sides of the embossments 11 to support the lamp in the holders 4 and 5. The portions of the holder contacts 36 and 37 in said cavities 43 are recessed from the cavity openings and the outer ends of the partitions 39 lie in said openings so that the fingers of a person mounting or dismounting a lamp while the lamp circuit may be unintentionally energized are protected from accidentally touching electrically charged contacts of the holders 4 and 5.

As best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the central passage 12 in each of the insulating disks 9 of the bases 2 and 3 has a center portion 58 of increased width to receive the ends of the partitions 39 projecting into the cavities 43.

In mounting the lamp in the holders the embossmcnt 11 on the base 2 is first inserted in the cavity 43 in the face of plunger 7 of the holder 4, and the lamp is then thrust against the plunger to overcome the force of the springs 27 and 28 and to move the plunger 7 back into the housing 24 of the holder 4 a suflicient distance to allow embossment 11 on the base 3 to clear the holder 5. The embossment 11 on base 3 is then positioned in the cavity 43 in the face of plug 49 of holder 5 and the grip of the person mounting the lamp is released. The springs in the holders 4 and 5 clamp the lamp in bet een the said holders. in Fig. l of the drawing the normal position of the mounted lamp is shown in solid lines.

In clismounting the lamp the plunger 7 is forced "each into the holder 4 until the embossment 11 on the base 3 is completely withdrawn from the plug 49 in holder 5 and the lamp may then be removed by tilting its end pro vided with base 3, as shown in broken lines in Fig. l, and thereafter removing the base 2 from the plunger 7.

The outer ends of the contacts 36 and 37 of the holders 4 and 5 are cam shaped and thus wipe a portion of the inleads 13 and 14 in the bases 2 and 3 each time the lamp is mounted and dismounted and also make a firm two-surface contact with said inleads when the embossments on the bases, which embossments constitute projections on the lamp, are fully inserted in the holders. A good electrical connection thus is established between the lamp terminals and the holder contacts on insertion of the lamp projections in the holders.

The bottom of the grooves and the walls of passage 12 provide firm support for the inleads 13 and 14 against the pressure exerted thereon by the portions of the springpressed contacts 36 and 37 within the grooves 20 and the passage 12 of the bases 2 and 3 of the mounted lamp.

The lamp holders 4 and 5 shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 and described above are disclosed and claimed in the copending application of John M. Pistey, Serial No. 452,851, filed August 30, 1954 as a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 380,325 of even date herewith, which application, Serial No. 380,325, now stands abandoned. Both these applications are assigned to the assignee of this application.

The base shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3, except that in this embodiment the insulating disk 61 has three aligned parallel passages 62, 63 and 64 extending through its embossment 65. The wire inleads 13 and 14 extend through the two square outer passages 62 and 64 and have their bent-over end portions disposed in grooves 66 provided in the face of the embossment 65. The grooves 66 have recesses 67 in their bottom surfaces (Fig. 7) which correspond to and serve the same purpose as the recesses 20 in the grooves 20 of the base shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The grooves connect the openings of the outer passages 62 and 64 with the opening of the circular central passage 63. As shown in Fig. 6 the inleads 13 and 14 terminate Within the central passage 63. A small body of electrically insulating cement may be inserted in the opening of passage 63 to anchor the inleads in the base and used with or without the recesses 67, or when inleads of sufiicient stiffness are used all such anchoring means may be omitted.

The holders 68 and 69 illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings accommodate a lamp of the type described above and provided with a base 60 at each end of its tubular envelope.

The holder 68 shown in Figs. 8 and 10 is similar to the holder 4 of the embodiment of the invention described above in that it includes a movable insulating hollow plunger 70 having shoulders 71 and 72 biased against flanges 73 and 74 at an opening in an insulating housing 75 by a pair of metal springs 76 and 77 engaging the back wall of the housing 75 and a pair of contacts 7 8 and 7 9 disposed Within the plunger 70.

The contacts '78 and 79 in this embodiment of the invention, however, are mounted in fixed positions relative to each other on oppositely facing sides of an insulating flat tongue piece 80 having longitudinal edges engaging oppositely disposed grooves 81 and 82 in the cylindrical side wall of the plunger 70. The front wall 83 of the plunger serves as a stop for the tongue piece 80 and has an opening 84 therein sufiicient in size and shape to receive the embossment 65 on the base 60 as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. The contacts 78 and 79 are recessed from the opening 84 as shown in Fig. 8.

The contacts 78 and 79 are bifurcated and the two forks 85, 86 and 87, 88 thereof, respectively, are elongated and enter the passages 62 and 64 of the base 60 when the lamp is mounted in the holders 68 and 69. The two forks of each of the contacts are so spaced that as the base 68 is inserted in the plunger 70 the forks of each contact are forced together slightly by the walls of the base passages 62 and 64. The inner edges of the forks 86 and 87 are serrated and rub along the wire inleads 13 and 14, respectively, as the base 60 is inserted to assure a good electrical connection between the contacts and the inleads.

The holder 69 shown in Fig. 9 is similar in structure to holder 68, except that in this embodiment the bifurcated contacts 89 and 90 are longer and are mounted on the back wall of the housing 75 so as to be immovable in a longitudinal direction. A closure disk 91 provided with an opening of the same size and shape as opening 84 in wall 83 of plunger '78 for receiving the embossment 65 on the base 60 is mounted in the opening in the housing 75 of holder 69. The contacts 78, 79 and 89, 90 of holders 68 and 69, respectively, are connected to terminal posts on the holders in the conventional manner described above in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5. Insertion and removal of the lamp in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 6 to 10 is accomplished in the same manner as described above in connection with the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the combined lamp and lamp holders of the two embodiments of the invention described above comprise a minimum number of elements which are inexpensively made and readily assembled to the end that a substantial reduction in the manufacturing costs of such lamps and lamp holders is effected. Further, the advantages of ease in mounting and dismounting the lamp while supporting a mounted lamp in a positive manner are provided by the combined elements described above.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which is now considered to represent the two best embodiments thereof has been described, but it will be understood, of course, that the apparatus is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A base for an electric lamp having a glass envelope and a flexible metal wire inlead of appreciable stiffness extending from said envelope, said base comprising a body member of electrically insulating material having an inlead receiving passage therethrough and having a groove communicating with said passage and extending transversely thereto across an exposed face of said member for receiving a bent-over outer end portion of an inlead extending along said passage, the walls of said passage being spaced apart to accommodate therebetween the inlead of the lamp and an inserted electrical contact of a lamp holder and being shaped to support the accommodated inlead in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, the groove in said body member being substantially deeper than the diameter of the accommodated wire inlead to protect the bent-over end portion of said inlead from accidental contacts.

2. A base for an electric lamp having a glass envelope and a flexible metal wire inlead of appreciable stiffness extending from said envelope, said base comprising a body member of electrically insulating material having an inlead receiving passage therethrough and having a groove communicating with said passage and extending transversely thereto across an exposed face of said memher for receiving a bent-over outer end portion of an inlead extending along said passage, the Walls of said passage being spaced apart to accommodate therebetween the inlead of the lamp and an inserted electrical contact of a lamp holder and being shaped to support the accommodated inlead in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, the groove in said body member being substantially deeper than the diameter of 7Q. an inlead receiving passage therethrough, a groove comthe accommodated wire inlead to protect the bent-over end portion of said inlead from accidental contacts, and having a recess in its bottom surface dimensioned to 7 receive and grip between its walls the bent-over part of the accommodated inlead wire.

3. A base for an electric lamp having a glass envelope and a flexible metal wire inlead of appreciable stiifness extending from said envelope, said base comprising a body member of electrically insulating material having municating with said passage and extending transversely thereto across an exposed face of said member for receiving a bent-over portion of an inlead extending along 4 said passage, said member being hollow at the end of said groove remote from said passage to receive the outer end of said inlead wire, the walls of said passage being spaced apart to accommodate therebetween the inlead of the lamp and an inserted electrical contact of a lamp holder and being shaped to support the accommodated inlead in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, the groove in said body member being substantially deeper than the diameter of the accommodated wire inlead to protect the bent-over end portion of said inlead from accidental contacts.

4. A base for an electric lamp having a flexible metal wire inlead of appreciable stiffness extending therefrom, said base comprising a body member of electrically insulating material having an outwardly projecting raised embossment for insertion in a lamp holder, an inlead receiving passage through the embossed portion thereof and having a groove communicating with said passage and extending across the face of said embossment for receiving a bent-over outer end portion of an inlead extending along said passage, the walls of said passage being spaced to accommodate therehetween the inlead of the lamp and an inserted electrical contact of a lamp holder and being shaped to support the accommodated inlead in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, the groove in the face of said embossment being substantially deeper than the diameter of the accommodated wire inlead to protect the bent-over end portion of said inlead from accidental contacts.

5. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire inleads of appreciable stiffness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope, each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having a passage therethrough and two grooves communicating with said passage and extending transversely in opposite directions therefrom across the outer face of said body member, said inleads extending in spaced apart relation along said passage and into respective ones of said grooves, the walls of said passage being spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate therebetween the said spaced inleads and insulated electric contacts of a holder for said lamp, one for each of said inleads, and being shaped to support said inleads in position for electrical engagement with said contacts, said grooves being substantially deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts.

6. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire inleads of appreciable stiffness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope, each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having a passage therethrough and two grooves communicating with said passage and extending transversely in opposite directions therefrom across the outer face of said body member, said inleads extending in spaced apart relation along said passage and into respective ones of said grooves, the walls of said passage being spaced apart sufiiciently to accommodate therebetween the said spaced inleads and insulated electric contacts of a holder for said lamp, one for each of said inleads, and being shaped to support said inleads in position for electrical engagement with said contacts, said grooves being substantially deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts, said bases comprising also means to anchor said inleads therein.

7. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal Wire inleads of appreciable stiffness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope, each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having a passage therethrough, two grooves communicating with said passage and extending transversely in opposite directions therefrom across the outer face of said member and cavities in said member at the ends of said grooves, said inleads extending in spaced apart relation along said passage into respective ones of said grooves and terminating in said cavities, the walls of said passage being spaced apart sufiiciently to accommodate therebetween the said spaced inleads and insulated contacts of a holder for said lamp, one for each of said inleads, and being shaped to support said inleads in position for electrical engagement with said contacts, said grooves being substantially deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts.

8. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire inleads of appreciable stiffness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope, each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having an outwardly projecting raised embossment for insertion in a lamp holder and a passage through the embossed portion thereof and having two grooves in the face of said embossment, said grooves communicating with said passage and extending transversely in opposite directions therefrom, said inleads extending along said passage and into respective ones of said grooves, the walls of said passage being spaced apart snfficiently to accommodate therebetween the said inleads in spaced relation and insulated contacts of a holder for said lamp, one for each of said inleads, and being shaped to support said inleads in position for electrical engagement with said contacts, said grooves being substantially deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts.

9. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire inleads of appreciable stiffness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope, each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having a pair of parallel spaced passages therethrough, one for each of said inleads, and two grooves communicating with said passages and extending transversely therefrom across the outer face of said body member, said inleads extending along said passages and into said grooves, the walls of said passages being spaced to accommodate therebetween a contact of a lamp holder and shaped to support the inlead therein in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, said grooves being deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads fromaccidental contacts.

10. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire in leads of appreciable stifiness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope. each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having a pair of parallel spaced passages therethrough, one for each of said inleads, and two grooves communicating with said passages and extending transversely therefrom across the outer face of said body member, said inleads extending along said passages and into said grooves, the walls of said passages being spaced to accommodate therebetween a contact of a lamp holder and shaped to support the inlead therein in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, said grooves being deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts, said bases comprising also means to anchor said inleads therein.

11. An electric lamp comprising an elongated tubular glass envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire inleads of appreciable stiffness extending from each of its ends and a base attached to each end of said envelope, each of said bases comprising a body member of insulating material having an outwardly projecting raised embossment for insertion in a lamp holder and a pair of parallel spaced passages through the embossed portion thereof and having spaced grooves in the face of said embossment, said grooves communicating with said passages respectively and said inleads extending along said passages and into said grooves, the walls of said passages being spaced to accommodate therebetween a contact of a lamp holder and shaped to support the inleads therein in position for electrical engagement with the accommodated contact, said grooves being deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts.

12. In combination, a lamp holder having walls defining a housing having a narrow opening and contacts mounted within said housing and behind said opening, and a lamp having a glass envelope, a base mounted on said envelope and including a member of insulating material, and spaced apart current inleads extending from said envelope and terminating within said insulating member whereby said inleads are protected from accidental contacts, said member having a raised embossment projecting into said holder through the opening therein and having a passage through its embossed portion, the walls of said passage overlapping a holder contact and supporting an inlead in electrical engagement with said contact, said contact and said inlead having longitudinally extending portions positioned in said holder and said base passage to make a wiping electrical contact within said passage on insertion of said base embossment in said holder opening.

13. In combination, a lamp holder having walls defining a contact housing having a narrow opening and contacts mounted within said housing and behind said opening, and a tubular lamp having a glass envelope and a base attached to said envelope, said base having a body member of insulating material provided with a raised narrow embossment projecting from said base and into the narrow opening of said housing, the embossed portion of said base having passages therethrough and grooves in the face of the embossment communicating with said passages, said lamp envelope having a pair of flexible metal wire inleads extending therefrom and through the base passages into the grooves in the embossed portion of the base, the Walls of said passages overlapping said holder contacts and supporting said inleads in electrical engagement therewith, said contacts and said inleads having longitudinally extending portions positioned in said holder and said base passages to make wiping electrical contacts within said passages on insertion of said base embossment in said holder opening, the grooves in said base being substantially deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads against accidental contacts in mounting and dismounting said lamp.

14. In combination, a lamp holder having walls defining a contact housing having a narrow opening and insulated contacts mounted within said housing behind said opening, and a lamp having a glass envelope, a base attached to said envelope and including a body member of insulating material provided with a raised embossment projecting from said base and into said housing through said opening, the embossed portion of said member having a passage therethrough and narrow grooves in the face of said embossment communicating with said passage, said lamp comprising also flexible metal wire inleads extending in spaced relation from said envelope along said passage and into respective ones of said grooves, the walls of said passage overlapping said holder contacts and supporting said leads in electrical engagement therewith, said contacts and said inleads having longitudinally extending portions positioned in said holder and said base passages to make wiping electrical contacts within said passages on insertion of said base embossment in said holder opening, said grooves being deeper than the diameter of said wire inleads to protect said inleads from accidental contacts in mounting and dismounting said lamps.

15. In combination, a pair of spaced lamp holders, and a lamp having an elongated tubular envelope provided with bases at its ends mounted between said holders, each of said holders having walls defining a housing having an opening, one of said holders having a hollow stationary plug closing said opening, the front wall of said plug defining a narrow opening, and contacts positioned behind said opening, the other of said holders having a stop in said housing, a hollow plunger mounted in said housing and projecting through said opening, the front walls of said plunger defining a narrow opening, contacts mounted behind said narrow opening and springs pressing said contacts toward said narrow opening and said plunger outward of said housing and against said stop, each of said lamp bases comprising a. body member of insulating material having a raised embossment projecting from said base through the narrow opening in the respective holders and having a passage through the embossed portion thereof, said lamp comprising also a pair of metal wire inleads extending in spaced relation from each end of its envelope along said passage and terminating within the body member of the base mounted on respective ends of the envelope, the walls of the said passage in each base overlapping the contacts in its respective lamp holder and supporting the inleads in said passage against said contacts and the said holder contacts and supported inleads having longitudinally extending portions positioned to make wiping electrical contacts within said base passage on insertion of the base embossment in the holder opening.

16. In combination, a pair of spaced lamp holders and a lamp having as elongated tubular envelope provided with bases at its ends mounted between said holders, one of said holders having walls defining a contact housing and a narrow opening into said housing, a pair of spaced stationary contacts mounted in said housing behind said opening, the other of said holders having walls defining a housing having an opening and a plunger having a narrow opening in its face mounted on said housing and extending outward therefrom through said opening, spaced insulated contacts mounted in said plunger behind said narrow opening and springs in said housing biasing said contacts and said plunger outward of said housing, each of said lamp bases comprising a body member of insulating material having a raised embossment projecting from said base and through the narrow openings in the respective holders and having a pair of passages extending through the portion thereof, said lamp comprising also a pair of metal wire inleads extending from each end of its envelope and along respective ones of the passages in said base and terminating within the body member of the base, the walls of said passages overlapping said holder contacts and supporting said inleads against said contacts, said holder contacts and said supported inleads having longitudinally extending portions positioned to make wiping electrical contacts within said base passages on insertion of each base embossment in each holder opening.

17. A lamp holder comprising walls defining an openended housing having a stop therein, a hollow plunger slidably mounted in said housing, extending through said opening and also having a stop therein, spaced electrical contact means movably mounted in said plunger and a pair of metal springs in said housing and biasing said contact means against the stop in said plunger and the plunger against the stop in said housing, said plunger having an outer end wall provided with a restricted opening exposing said contact means for engagement with lamp contacts.

18. A lamp holder comprising walls defining an openended housing having a stop therein, a hollow plunger slidably mounted in said housing, extending through said opening and also having a stop therein, electrical contact means mounted in said plunger and comprising a pair of spaced metal contacts mounted on an insulating member engaging the side wall of said plunger and movable along said plunger, and a pair of metal springs in said housing and engaging said contacts and biasing said contact means against the stop in said plunger and the plunger against the stop in said housing, said plunger having an outer end wall provided with a restricted opening exposing said contacts for engagement With lamp contacts, said contacts terminating within said plunger and behind said opening.

19. A base for attachment to an end of a doubleended electric lamp having a pair of spaced wire inleads extending from each of its ends, said base comprising an outwardly projecting electrically insulating body member provided with a passage for receiving said spaced inleads, the outer face of said member having spaced apart recessed portions communicating with said passage for accommodating the end portions of said inleads, the depth of said recessed portions being greater than the diameter of the Wire inleads for which the base is designed to protect the said inleads from accidental contacts, the walls of said passage and said spaced recessed portions being shaped to support the accommodated inleads in position for engagement with electrical supply contacts for the lamp.

20. A lamp holder comprising walls defining an openended housing having a stop, a hollow contact support member slidably mounted on said housing and also having a stop therein, spaced electrical contact means mov ably mounted in said member and a pair of metal springs in said housing and biasing said contact means against the stop in said member and the member against the stop of said housing, said member having an outer end wall provided with a restricted opening exposing said contact means for engagement with lamp contacts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,216,247 Ledig et a1. Oct. 1, 1940 2,285,175 Sparling June 2, 1942 2,321,851 Pope June 14, 1943 2,453,986 Greiner et a1. Nov: 16, 1948 

